Help With new Bredli pair

[bigal]

Hi Fellas
I am a new member so be gentle if I ask some dumb questions
My wife bought me a young bredli about 18 mths ago and I fell in love with it
Last week i bought a older pair of bredlis about 3 year old
Both a lot bigger than mine,
I bought them of an experience breeder (who may even be a member of this forum)
Anyway I got both snakes home and in their enclosures, which was thrown in with the snakes
The enclosures are a simple ply wood construction with glass sliders at the front with heat lamps and thermostat. It is 600mm deep 500mm high 1500 long. It divided in 2 sections, one 600mm and the other 900mm. Male is in the 600 section, female in the 900mm section. I was told they were kept in this enclosure up until about 3 or 4 months ago. Since then they have been kept in the rack and bin type enclosures that a lot of professional breeders use.
Fed the female when I got her home on Saturday, she ate the full size rat, took about an hour to do it and ate tail first but did eat it.
The male (who was about to shed) grabbed the rat but left it alone for 30 mins and seemed uninterested so I got rid of the rat and put him back in enclosure.
The male shed last night with the skin all in one piece, which I am told is good.
Both the heat lamps were blown in the enclosure and I was only able to get some new ones today, it has been super hot so I was not too concerned,
I have a Infra Red Thermometer and measured the surface of both snake said they were at about 24C
Sorry about the essay but I said all that to ask this
1/What should the surface temps of the snakes be?
2/Both snakes are real snappy, already had a good bite of the girl but she let go straight away. Can anyone give me an idea through their experience if they believe this aggressive behavior will continue or is par for the course of relocation?
3/What is the best way to try and get these 2 a bit more social? Do I leave them alone for a while? Do I try to touch them or take them out each day? I am not too worried about being bitten, hasn't hurt to much but bleed like a stuck pig, the anticipation of being bitten is the worst part.
Any way sorry again for the essay, all help will be much appreciated

 

[saximus]

Never heard of measuring actual snake temps but just make sure the hot end is about 32 and the cool end is about 28 (if you can in this heat) and they will regulate their own temp
Generally breeders don't handle their snakes because they just don't have the time. So they probably just need experience with handling. With practice you will learn what to do and what not to do and whether they are in a good mood and can be handled. It will take patience though.
You should leave them for a couple of weeks though. Most people would say you shouldn't even offer food for a couple of week just to let them get settled in a new place.

 

[bigal]

Thanks for taking the time to reply
Have the time and the patience, I didn't want to try doing too much too soon,
They were due for a feed when I got them, which is why I had a go.
I will leave them alone for a week
Managed to put in their heat globes in with out being bit, used hook to transfer them into a box while I did the job, that was a learning curve in itself lol

 

[saximus]

Haha yeah you definitely learn quick with snappy snakes. Make sure you use the hook to get them out when you want to handle them too. A lot of snakes are what people call cage defensive which means if you stick your hand in you'll get bitten but once they are out they're fine.
Let me/us know if you need any more help

 

[bigal]

will do
feel free to pass on any more tips
Hopefully a few more people who have been in the same situation will share their experiences
I was told Bredlis had a good temperament, Hoping these will end up that way with some time
I will post a few pics when I can handle them a bit better

 

[Miss_Stripey]

They may be grumpy because of being moved hopefully they will settle down. I Hardly handle My bredlis and they can be very hissy but reluctant to bite. And they calm down very fast after i get them out. I have a mate that got a large one that had been handed down through many owners and its a NUTCASE! will even hit the glass if you walk past it. But it took him a year and he can now handle it safely.
They have long teeth and make you bleed lots my mate got 3 stitches in his lip from his monster but the plus side is they let go easily. Womas and BHP hold on for life like a pitbul.
Snakes like most animals only bite to defend themselves if they feel threatened or are not happy. The other time is when they are trying to eat something. Hopefully yours will settle down after a while then with time you will be able to slowly handle them until they are placid.

 

[bigal]

Thanks Miss Stripey
The snake my wife bought me (affectionatly know as hyphen the python) who started this adventure was bought about 18 months ago as he has grown from about 300mm long to about 1100mm long. He has not thickened up yet and was a little snappy as a young'en. But hasn't struck at me for ages. I think I could just about tie him in a knot and he would shrug it off.